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Home » Appetizers & Snacks

Murgh (Chicken)Tikka

Published: Mar 11, 2014 · Modified: Nov 8, 2021 by Tanvi · This post may contain affiliate links

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Sinfully Spicy - Murgh(Chicken) Tikka

Spicy, smoky and succulent - you could hardly go wrong when these define the dish you make.Bites of chicken grilled to perfection and instantly sprinkled with chaat masala for that much-needed tang and served immediately. I cannot think of a better appetizer or a side to fragrant rice pilaf. If you think healthy, skip the carbs and serve over a bed of greens and you are good to go.

Sinfully Spicy : Garlic,Chilies& Mint

When cooking chicken, I make sure not to skip the marination part - it does wonders to the otherwise plain poultry. Hours of marination in yogurt and spices not only makes the chicken morsels tender but packs them with so much flavor. I always plan leftovers because these are excellent tucked inside a wrap with some green chutney (or hot sauce), mayo and few fresh veggies.

Sinfully Spicy - Murgh(Chicken) Tikka

It would be false if I told you that I grew up eating home cooked chicken tikka. Every now and then when we had family dinners, tikkas of all sorts were ordered from a barbecue take out place near to our house. In India, home delivery is so common and free if you live in the same area as the restaurant. The tikkas came wrapped in layers of aluminum foil, still warm from the tandoor (clay oven).There used to be pink hued pickled pearl onions, lime wedges and chutney to go along the smoky bites.At times,it did not matter to transfer the contents on to a dinner plate, just spread open the foil and everybody helped themselves - a really informal way of entertaining if you may think so.

Sinfully Spicy : Spices

Tikka (meaning chunks or pieces) is an extremely popular street food back home. All kinds of marinated vegetables, paneer as well as meat and poultry are available readily for a take away or a quick mid evening snack by the road side.

However, these are not to be confused with Chicken Tikka Masala, a spicy curry from the indian subcontinent which could definitely use a tikka like these simmered in sauce. You would find a lot of recipes of making tikka in India, each using almost the same spices in varying quantities.I am sharing what I make every now and then with all kinds of herbs & an essential dollop of ghee that goes into the marinade.

Sinfully Spicy - Murgh(Chicken) Tikka

Sinfully Spicy - Murgh(Chicken) Tikka

Morsels of chicken marinated in yogurt and fresh ground spices and then grilled to perfection. You could use the same marinade for paneer tofu or with vegetable chunks.

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

  • 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs 
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the marinade

  • 3 tablespoon thick plain yogurt
  • 1 green cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ⅛ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • ½" cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder (this gives the color, not the heat)
  • 3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped (adjust to tolerance)
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 1 heaping tsp kasuri methi, crushed between palms(dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 1 tbsp ghee 
  • salt
  • oil for brushing the grill top/skillet
Garnishes - Chopped Cilantro or mint, lime wedges, chaat masala.

Note -

  1.  You could use chicken breast too in this recipe. But I find that thighs turn out much more juicy and succulent.
  2. If you don not have all the whole spices mentioned above, trust your favorite tandoori spice powder & use it. Don't skip the fresh herbs though.

Method

Clean and pat dry the chicken thighs. Cut them into bite size pieces. Rub with lemon juice, minced garlic & ginger,½ teaspoon salt and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, tip in cardamom,coriander,black pepper, fenugreek, cinnamon & cloves into your coffee grinder and grind to a (not too fine) powder. Mix this powder in a bowl with yogurt,cumin powder, turmeric, chili, cilantro, green chili, kasuri methi, ghee & mint leaves. Marinate the chicken with this and keep refrigerated for at least 8 hours (overnight is best).

Take the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking. Sprinkle salt to taste before ready to grill. I use my stove top grill to cook them, however you can skew them and cook over outdoor grill.These cook very well over a cast iron skillet/tava. Cook the chicken pieces to perfection flipping regularly to cook on all sides.

Serve hot along side onion rings & green chutney.

Enjoy & Thanks for stopping by!

More Appetizers & Snacks

  • Schezwan Paneer Tart
  • Hariyali Chicken
  • Spicy Garlic Wings
  • Shishito Pepper Pakora (Fritters)

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Non Vegetarian Tagged With: Easy Recipe, Fats and Oils/Tel, garlic, Ghee, ginger, Green Chilli, Green Chillies, healthy recipe, indian cuisine, indian curry, indian food blogs, indian recipes, indian side dishes, indian spices, indian street food chicken, Mint/Pudina (fresh), murgh tikka, north indian recipes, Recipe from blogs, Red Chilli powder, Spices & Seasonings/Masaale, spicy recipe, starters/appetizers, Summer, tandoori chicken tikka at home

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nandita

    March 11, 2014 at 10:58 pm

    Just loved the 2nd shot. Great recipe tanvi. The chicken tikka a look really yum 🙂

    Reply
  2. Rosa Mayland

    March 11, 2014 at 11:51 pm

    Wonderfully spicy! A great recipe.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  3. myninjanaan

    March 12, 2014 at 2:24 am

    ommmmgggg Tanvi! This is just toooooo muchhh!

    Reply
    • Tanvi

      March 12, 2014 at 9:13 pm

      ha ha..I m smiling ear to ear 🙂

      Reply
  4. Priya

    March 12, 2014 at 3:25 am

    Would love to finish those irresistible chicken tikkas..

    Reply
  5. birthdaygirl

    March 12, 2014 at 4:50 am

    This looks so tasty! Love the photos.

    Reply
    • Tanvi

      March 12, 2014 at 9:12 pm

      Thank you

      Reply
  6. Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health

    March 12, 2014 at 5:51 am

    just pinned this..lovely photos.

    Reply
    • Tanvi

      March 12, 2014 at 9:12 pm

      Thanks lovely!

      Reply
  7. spicesandpisces

    March 12, 2014 at 10:46 am

    Love the new look of your blog Tanvi. The chicken tikkas look delicious. Love the vibrant color. I make a different kind bit yours look to appetizing not to try.

    Reply
    • Tanvi

      March 12, 2014 at 9:12 pm

      I think tikka recipes are suit to taste & vary from cook to cook. Like my mom adds onion paste to hers,I don't.Would love to see your version.

      Reply
  8. Ananda Rajashekar

    March 12, 2014 at 1:22 pm

    That picture of garlic is just stunning! Feels good to be back after a long time!

    Reply
    • Tanvi

      March 12, 2014 at 8:02 pm

      Seriously Ananda, its been such a long time. Many thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  9. Cteavin

    March 12, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    Your photos are amazing. I love the color composition, especially in the layout of the spices. And I love murgh. I'm going to try this.

    Reply
    • Tanvi

      March 12, 2014 at 8:01 pm

      Thanks for stopping by. Hope you like these

      Reply
  10. Joyti

    March 12, 2014 at 6:51 pm

    First of all, new layout? I LOVE it! So clean and crisp and easy to read!

    Second, this looks delish. I love the story about eating take-out tikka off foil, such a sweet memory 🙂

    Reply
    • Tanvi

      March 12, 2014 at 8:01 pm

      Thanks Joyti.Glad that you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  11. RebeccaSubbiah RDN ✈ (@chowandchatter)

    March 12, 2014 at 6:54 pm

    looks amazing must try

    Reply
  12. Neelu

    March 12, 2014 at 11:29 pm

    Love the new look and gorgeous photos as usual! I'am a die hard fan of barbecued or grilled meat. A lot more easier than making elaborate curries. I will let you know when I try this recipe. xx

    Reply
  13. Shema | LifeScoops

    March 13, 2014 at 8:56 am

    The chicken looks so good and juicy. You are making me so hungry !!

    Reply
  14. Asmita (@FoodieAsmita)

    March 13, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    Your chicken tikka is making my mouth water! Looks fantastic with the green chutney and onion rings on the side!

    Reply
  15. Nancy/SpicieFoodie

    March 13, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    My mouth is watering so much right now. Love your beautiful photos and recipes!

    Reply
  16. getyourexbackkk

    August 15, 2015 at 8:04 am

    Thanks for this yummy recipe.I tried it last night it came really so yummy and delicious.I must say the way you explain and the images are really help me lot to prepare.
    There is a wonderful event and a giveaway happening at my blog. Check the below link
    Yummy chicken tikka

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Tanvi! If you love Indian food, you are at the right place, browse through hundreds of delicious Indian recipes

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